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Simon MacDowall
May 27, 20231 min read
Ready to Battle the Turks
My 11th C Armenians are now ready to join the East Roman Emperor's expedition against the Seljuk Turks. The figures are all from Perry...
122 views
2 comments


Simon MacDowall
May 19, 20231 min read
Armenians for Manzikert
Next up on the painting table is a unit of 11th C Armenians for my Byzantine army. The Armenian Theme was unwisely abandoned by Emperor...
95 views
1 comment


Simon MacDowall
May 8, 20232 min read
When is a Peltast not a Peltast?
Many, many, years ago when the world was young, 28mm had not yet been invented, and wargames shops still existed. Back then, browsing...
112 views
4 comments


Simon MacDowall
Apr 26, 20232 min read
Mini Mantinea
A number of our group were unable to make it to the Society of Ancients Battle Day. Therefore I put on another Mantinea game with Alala!...
98 views
1 comment


Simon MacDowall
Apr 5, 20233 min read
Both sides win and lose
Last weekend I put on an Alala! game at the 19th Society of Ancients Battle Day featuring 2nd Mantinea (362 BC). As ever, the day was...
329 views
9 comments


Simon MacDowall
Jan 19, 20233 min read
A Hole in the Walls of Babylon
My 25mil Byzantine army has just its first table-top outing in more than 3 decades! The game was set in early AD 1061 when most of...
144 views
2 comments


Simon MacDowall
Jan 15, 20231 min read
More Turks
Fresh off the painting table is another unit of Seljuk Turks as allies or enemies for my 10th-11th C Byzantine army. The figures are a...
52 views
4 comments


Simon MacDowall
Dec 21, 20221 min read
New Life for Old Turks
Many years ago, with all the best intentions, I thought I would build a Seljuk army to oppose my Byzantines and to fight the actions of...
69 views
3 comments


Simon MacDowall
Dec 19, 20222 min read
From Ancient to Medieval Greeks
I have shifted focus from the 4th C BC to the 11th C AD. This is down to a planned Siege of Antioch game (1st Crusade) in January and...
204 views
4 comments


Simon MacDowall
Dec 5, 20223 min read
Hereward re-awakes
Leaving aside my Ancient Greeks for a while, I recently found myself embroiled in an attempt to suppress Hereward the Wake’s East Anglian...
112 views
3 comments


Simon MacDowall
Nov 16, 20222 min read
Ragging Hoplite Shields
I have been having great fun playing around with different shield designs for my next unit of Greek Hoplites. Most are hand painted but I...
138 views
3 comments


Simon MacDowall
Nov 11, 20221 min read
Billhooks Deluxe
Look what arrived in the post today! My advance copy of the magnificent expanded version of Andy Callan's Never Mind the Billhooks rules....
160 views
3 comments


Simon MacDowall
Nov 8, 20221 min read
Men of Bronze
I have just finished painting my first Hoplite unit for Alala! and the Society of Ancients Mantinea Battle Day. These are Newline Designs...
119 views
4 comments


Simon MacDowall
Nov 1, 20222 min read
Alala! at the Society of Ancients Conference
Last weekend I gave my Alala! Hoplite game its third outing at the Society of Ancients Conference. For me this event is the highlight of...
223 views
3 comments


Simon MacDowall
Oct 24, 20223 min read
Theban hamippoi on the painting table
in preparation for the Society of Ancients Mantinea Battle Day, I have been painting up Greek cavalry and light troops to supplement Pete...
173 views
5 comments


Simon MacDowall
Oct 20, 20221 min read
More Hoplite Action
Yesterday we managed to get a second test game of Alala! hoplite rules in before the upcoming Society of Ancients Conference. It was...
154 views
2 comments


Simon MacDowall
Oct 12, 20222 min read
Alala!
I have been working on some new simple rules for Hoplite battles which I call Alala! — from the ancient Greek war cry. I will use these...
1,163 views
4 comments


Simon MacDowall
Sep 12, 20221 min read
Forward back to the past
Second Mantinea (362 BC) will be the next battle featured at the 2023 Society of Ancients Battle Day. This has provided me with my next...
166 views
2 comments


Simon MacDowall
Sep 4, 20223 min read
The Battle for Rocroi
It has been 5 years in the making but finally I had painted up all the troops I needed to refight the battle of Rocroi (1643) between the...
879 views
2 comments


Simon MacDowall
Aug 12, 20222 min read
The Last Recruits for Rocroi
After a painting pause I have completed all the foot regiments I need to re-fight Rocroi (1643). We will run the game 1 September and I...
119 views
4 comments
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